Conveyer system.



No. 823,477. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

. I. s MERRBLL.

'GONVBYBR SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOVZO, 1905.

5 $HEETS-SHEET 1 No. 823,477. PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. I. S. .MERRBLL. GONVBYERfiYSTEM.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 20,1905.

5 sums-sum- 2.

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GONVBYER SYSTEM,

APPLICATION FILED NOV.20,1905.

z 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

No. 823,477 EATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. I. s. MERRELL.

GONVBYER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

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04 T THRIVE PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906.

- I. S. MBRRBLL.

GONVEYER SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1905.

5 SHEETSSHEET 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRVING S. MERRELL, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO- M-ERRELL- SOULE COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE,

NEW YORK.

NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF CONVEYER SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

Application filed November 20. 1905. Serial No. 288,216.

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRVING S. MERRELL, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Conveyer Systems, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved conveyer system which is specially adapted for use in large preserving plants and similar manufactories where it is desired to convey the same or different materials from one department in the basement or lower floor of a building to another department on the upper floor or floors or to other elevated remote parts of the plant where the contents of the buckets are automatically discharged into the hoppers or receptacles of the same or difierent machines, such as mixers, in which the material is to be further treated.

The specific use to which this system is now applied is in the handling of the different ingredients of mince-meat,- which requires that such ingredients be conveyed to the mixers in certain proportions in comparatively quick succession with as little manual labor as possible, so that they may be properly agitated and mixed.

The essential object, therefore, of this invention is to render the operation of conveying these ingredients separately and in definite quantities from one department to some remote part of the plant continuously and automatically and to avoid as far as practicable handling of the material by the workmen, thereby avoiding in a measure any contamination or unsanitary handling of the material by the workmen. This object, more specifically stated, is to extendan endless'chain or-cable over suitable supporting-drums and idlers from one department where each ingredient is supplied in separate buckets'to a remote department or upper part of the plant where such material is to be deposited and to provide this traveling chain or cable with suitable bucket-supports which automatically pick up the filled buckets at the supplystations and convey them'to more remote delivery-stations where they are automatically inverted and at the same time jarred to discharge and entirely free the material thererrom.

A'further object is to return the empty discharge at different places along t buckets to the place of starting where they are automatically detached from thc.con veyer, and deposited upon an additional coniveyer, and thereby carried to a con enient place-for refilling.

A further object is to provide mam ll controlled means for causing the b travel of the loaded side of the ends. s veyer chain or cable.-

A still further objectis to provide means whereby the operation of the entire system may be stopped or started at either the receiving or delivery stations.

Other objects relating to the specific structure of the several mechanisms forming a part of the conveyer system will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation I of a conveyer system embodying the various features of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken, respectlvely, on lines 2 2, Fig. 1, and 3 3 of Fi .2. Fig. 4; is a top plan of a portion of the evice seen in Fig. 3, showing particularly the mechanism by which the filled buckets are fed to the bucketsupports upon the main conveyer. Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail View showing particularly a portion of the main conveyer chain or cable and one of the bucket-supports in position for picking up one of the buckets. Fig. 7 is an'enlarged detail view ,of one of the bucket-supports and adjacent portion of the conveyer-chain, showing the arched portion of the guide or track for raising the bucketsupport and its bucket in its transit over'the shaft of one of the cable-supporting drums. Fig. 8 is an enlarged inner faceview of the return portion of the main conveyer, together with an end view of the auxiliary carrier upon which the empty buckets are delivered or transferred from the main conveyer, and also showing the mechanism for automatically actuating the auxiliary carrier intermittingly as each empty bucket is transferred thereto. Fig. 9. is an elevation of the portion of the mechanism seen in Fig. 8, showing particularly the clutch and its actuating means whereby intermittent motion is transmitted to the auxiliary conveyer: Fig. 10 is a trans- Fig. 11 is a detailelevation of one of charged.

' intermediateportionsattheturf" 5 pended, one from each shaft in a 5, and 5 are all revolubly supported upon a f tially horizontal positionat andthereby facilitate the automatic pint:-

o51conveyer belt l. to travel ing the mechanism for eiiecting the discharge of the material therefron'i into one ot the re coming-hoppers. Fig. 12 1S an elevation,

partly in section, similar to Fig. 11, showing 5 the bucket in its completely-luverted posttion. Fig/l3 is a horizontal sectional view throu h the drivin -nullev and its clutch mechanism. Fig. la is a top plan of mode fiedforms oi interlocking devices for invert- 1o ing the buckets.

I 5 considerable distance to remote upncr partof a building and. above one or more vioppcrs,

which are located one in advance cit ot..

in the line of travel of the conveyor tlHlqll Which the material from. the buclic I therefore provide an encn' Veyer-belt l, which is (JOOXtCi Y distance through which the me. o be conveyed and is supported at the terminal stations by suitz'ible drums L and 3, while the ircsuppiire ed by additional idlcrs or drums 4, 5,

,The conveyor-belt 1 prcicra a air of similar endless chains or cs oi su stantially the same length, which are ar- 0 ranged side by side a uniform distance a art suflicient to permit the buckets, as a, to pliiy freely between them and are connec L at regular intervals by suitable ci-oss-bars or tie-rods 7, fronrwhich the bucl' ts a. are sus in arm or space b n ereinaiter described, sullicient to allow 1c left between the cross-shafts buckets to swing about their respective axes Without friction one with the other.

The terminal drums 2 and 3 and idlcrs a,

suitable framework 8, and each preferably consists of a pair, of sprocket-wheels which are spaced apart the same dist-anceas the chains which the T suonort and are usuall Y 4 I i l.

, secured to a cross-shaft having its ends suit-- ably gournalcd on thelraine s, each cross shaft and its sprocketovheels constituting one of the supporting drums or idlers for the main conveyor-belt 3..

' i referably provide a pair of lower termi- "nal 2, which are supported i n so bstantially the same horizontal plane some d tance apart, one in advance of she other from front to rear, so as to maintain the lower in a substan lower sides,

- part of the main conveyerbclt A- 4-} i/ilull 'ing up of the filled buckets and L scharge oi the empty ones, as will be prascntly do dicated by the arrow 0;, and for this purpose I have shown a continuously-rotating drivingshalt t) as provided with a clutch l0 and a loose pulley ll, which latter is connected by L belt 12 to a ccond pulley 13. This pulley secured to a suitable shaft, which is jiuu'nalcd on the rame 8 and carries a pinion 14, in mesh with a larger gear 15 on the it of the drum 3, so as to afford ample Jer and comparatively slow-driving speed tor the main conveyor-belt l. The action of this main conveyor-belt controlled by the clutch '20, which is feathered on the driving- '1" L Q and is forced into and outoi interconnection with the loose pulley 11 ans oi a double bell-crank lever 16. ihis lever may be operated locally; but I prel'er to provide means whereby it may be actuated in either direction at different parts the system, and for this purpose its oppo ins are connected to the ends or a rellUilZUIltLl upper portion of the conveyor system. and around a suitable sprocket 18, which also rotativel mounted on the irame 8, the tci'mcdiate portion cl one side of said cable 17 being attached at it) to a lcver'20 within aisy iaching d istancc from the floor, so that iy in 17 is drawn cndwise and transmits rocking motion to the lever 16 to throw the clutch 10 into and out of action.

The shaft of the sprocket-Wheel l8 is connectcd by 20 to ahorizontal shaft, upon which is secured another sprocket-wheel 21,

and this latter Wheel is connected by an endloss cable 2 to an additional sprocket-wheel 22, which in turn is actuated .iy suitable hand-chains and 2-1 Within easy reaching distance from the floor of the lower. terminal station of the system. I

l have now briefly described a means for manually controlling the action of the main conv-yer. the general principle of which is clearly snown in Fig. l; but it is obvious that it is only one of many mechanisms i 'hich may be employed for the same purpose, and it is therefore believed to be unnecessary to enter into a detailed disclosure of any particular controlling device.

The main conveyor-belt 1. is adapted to carry a considerable number of loaded and empty buckets simultaneously to and from one or more hoppers or receptacles 25, into which the material from the buckets is automatically discharged in a manner presently described, and to relieve the belt from undue in .i provide suitable outgoing and return tracks or guides and 27, which are rigidly :ured to the framework it and follow the lines of travel of the outgoing and return sides of the belt to support and guide the clzets while in transit to and from the terl stations. These tracks or guides are rciferably located just inside of but close to cit-cable 17, running horizontally along the oving the lever back and forth the cable able flanged rollers 28, which ride upon and its bearings on the conveyer-chains and is against said tracks and hold the chains of the belt against undue sag or lateral displacement, each cross-shaft being free to rock in provided with a pair of pendent hangers or arms 30,. rigid thereon and close to the rollers 28 for receiving and supporting the buckets a.

The arms 30 of each pair are spaced apart a sufficient distance to receive between them one of the buckets a, and their inner pendent extremities are formed with mwardly-projecting bearings 30, open at the top for receiving opposite trunnions 31, which project laterally from opposite sides of the bucket, substantially midway between its ends, but above its horizontal center, so that when the bucket is suspended from the conveyer-belt .1 the preponderance of weight, either loaded upper side of an intermittingly-movable bed or endless carrier 33, which is supported by suitable rotary drums 34 upon the lower portion of the framework 3 at the lower terminal station of the system and a sufficient distance below the lower horizontal portion of the main conveyer 1 to permit the buckets a to be fed beneath the front terminal drum 2, with their trunnions 31 in the path of the opening sides of the bearings 30 of the upwardly-moving arms 30. the carrier 33 is therefore disposed directly beneath the lower front terminal drum 2 of the main conveyer 1 and extends forwardly and downwardly in a slight incline plane, so

that the front end of its top side, upon which the buckets are placed, is comparatively low or within easy reaching distance from the floor. This carrier 33 is provided at regular intervals with cleats or abutments 34, against which the buckets are placed and by which they are positively fed to the main conveyer l, and its movement is synchronized with that of the conveyer 1 to advance each suc-, eessive bucket one cleat-space as each bucketcarrier on the main conveyer is brought into position to pick it up.

Tntermitting motion is imparted from the main conveyer 1 to the auxiliary carrier '33 bymeans of a rotary spider 35, having a se-- ries of in this instance four-radial arms, the ends of which project into the path of the cross-shafts 7 of the conveyer l and are sue-- cessively engaged by said cross-shaft 7 .to rotate the spider 'one arm-space at'a time.

The rear end of' This spider is supported upon a suitable shaft on the main frame 8, directly beneath the tion to be and are picked up by the hangerarms 30 of each successively-advancing cross-shaft 7 of the main conveyer l and are thereby carried upwardly and horizontally to one or the other of the hoppers 25, where they are automatically discharged without stopping and the empty buckets returned to the starting-station and automatically deposited upon a second auxiliary carrier 41.

Each outgoing loaded bucket is caused to swing to a com letely-inverted position while passing over t e hop er 25, into which its contents are to be disc arged, and is while in this completely inverted or tilted position forcibly jarred to free the material which may adhere to its sides, and to accomplish these ends in as simple a manner as practicable each bucket is provided at or near its bottom with one or more spurs or keys 43, (du plicated at each end, so that the bucket is interchangeable and operative with either end foremost,) each spur being adapted to interlock with a rocking tumbler or loop 44 just before the moving bucket reaches its hopper 25, said bucket being also provided with opposite side shoes 45, which ride upon fixed guides 46 to steady the bucket against undue oscillation, and to thereby register its spur or key 43 with its loop 44. This loop 44 is secured to and projects upwardly from a rock-shaft 47 on the frame 8, which is located just at the rear of the hopper 25 and is counterbalanced by a weighted arm 48 to normally retain it in position to receive the s ur of an approaching bucket. Each rocks aft 47 is usually provided with a depending handpiece 49 within easy reachin distance from the floor and may be operate when desired to throw the loop 44 out of the path of the spur 43 of an approaching bucket to allow such bucket to continue to the next suc ceeding hopper before dischar ing its contents. Each spur43 and its duplicate, except when central, are located equidistant from but at opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the bucket, so as to, travel in the same line and engage the same loop when the bucket is reversed upon the conveyer-belt.

In this class of conveyers it is desirable to enable the attendant, at the delivery or dumping stations to cause the discharge of the successively-advancing buckets containing the same or different materials into the same or differentreoeptacles along the line of by side, as best seen in Figs. 10, 11, and 12,

and adapted to be brought successively into the path of movement of one of the spurs on the advancin bucket.

It is now clearly evident that the attendant at either of the receptacles may by meansof the handpiece 48 rock the shaft to throw either of its loops 4.4 into or out of the path of either of the projecting spurs on either of the advancing buckets, it being understood that said loops on the same shaft can only be brought into position one at a time for effecting the inversion or discharge of the bucket with which it may be interlocked and that each shaft may be rocked to such a position as to bring each of its loops out of the path of movement of the spurs of the advancing buckets when it is desired to allow suchbucket to pass on to the next receptacle or place of discharge.

Each bucket a is provided at its upper front and rear edges near the ends with opposite pairs of shoulders 50, which are equie distant from the swinging axis of the trunnions 31 withinthe radius or distance between the said trunnions and shaft 7 to per mit the bucket to swing under the shaft 7 to an inverted position.

At asuita-ble distance in the front of each shaft 47 and usually directly over each of the hoppers 25 is a pair of rests .51, which terminate in abrupt vertical shoulders and are adapted to be engaged by the front shoulders 50 of the advancing bucket during the opera tion of dumping the same.

Assuming that the rock-shaft 47 is adjusted to throw one of the loops i l into the path of the spur 43 of one of the advai'icing buckets (b, then as the bucket is drawn forward by the conveyer-belt 1. and hanger-arms the spur 43 will interlock with and rock the loop 44 forwardly a limited distance, and the continued forward movement of the bucket and interlocking connection between the loop 44. and spur 43 will cause the bottom of the bucket to be tilted rearwardly and upwardly, as best seen in Fig. 11, until the shoulders on the front end of said bucket will be brought more or less forcibly into en-.

sudden jar to loosen'the material therein preparatory to completing the discharge into the underlying receptacle 25. N owes the bucket continues its forward movement the a top edges of its sides close to the front shoulcrums uponwhich the bucket completes its swinging movement to an inverted position, thereby raising the spurs iffivertically out of interlocking engagement with the loops 44 with a minimum amount of resistance until the shaft 7 is engaged by the abutments or limiting-stops 50 on the rear end but near the bottom of the bucket, said limiting-stops 50 being located substantially the same dis tance from the center of the trunnions 31 as the shaft 7 and being near the bottom of the bucket allows said bucket to swing to a complete inverted position, 9 s best seen in Fig. 12.

During the inversion of the bucket as just described the flexing connections between the shaft 7 and bucket aallows the rear end of the bucket to swing forwardly and down-,

wardly with greater or less rapidity, thus bringing the limiting-stops 50 against the shaft 7 with considerable force and giving the bucket a. second forcible while in an. inverted position to loosen and free any adhering material therefrom, so that after discharging its cohtents into the underlying hopper or receptacle 25 the empty bucket is drawn forwardly by the conveyer-belt 1 until it is disengaged from the upper edge of the abutment 52, whereupon the bucket a and its supporting-arms 30 swing to their normal upright positions, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 10, the empty bucket being carried back by the return side of the conveyer to the starting-station, or rather to the auxiliary carrier 4.1, and each bucket is provided with bet tom straps a to 'g'icrniit thei 1 to be stacked one upon the top edges of another.

Just before reaching the limit of its return downward movement the bucket a encounters and rests upon the endless bed all, and the continued downward movement of the free ends of its supportin -arms disengages the bearings 30" froin the trunnions 31, leaving the depending ends of the arms free to swing clear of its bucket.

As soon as the bucket is deposited upon the bed or carrier 4] and the free ends of the the free ends of the arms 30, or 113M131 the opensided bearings 30 of the said arms, into registration with the trunnions 31. of the loaded bucket which is to be picked up and carried to its destination, it being understood that the bucket has previously been fed by the carrier 33 into a position wi-tl its trunnions .with the trunnions 31 and lift the conveyer from the feding carrier 33 and carryit upm, Fig. 8..

war,dly and horizontally along the outgoing track 26 to the hopper, into which the content's of' the bucket-are emptied in the manner previously described. I

The means for automatically diseng ging the returned empty buckets and depositing them on the auxiliary carrier 41 is best shown in detail in Figs. 8 and 9, in Whichit will be seen that one end ofthe carrier 41 is located directly beneath the terminal drum 2 at the return side of the conveyer 1 and in the path of the descending bucket, so that the bottom of the bucket encounters and rests upon the top sides of the carrier 41 before its hanger-arms 3O reach the limit of their downward movement, and therefore the continued downward movement of the arms causes the open-sided bearings to fall out of interlocking connection with thetrunnions 3 1, thus leaving the bucket free on the carrier 41, the-bucket being guided in its descent by a fixed track Now as the shaft 7, from which the bucket has just been released, continues to travel around the lower side of the return-drum 2 it encounters and rocks upwardly a cam-lever 54, which is pivoted at to the frame 8 and has its free end connected by an upright link 56 to a pawl 57. This pawl normally engages a tooth 58 of a rocking disk 59, having rigid therewith oppositely-proj ecting arms 60 and 61, one of which, as 60, is connected by a link'62 and bell-crank lever 63 to a clutch 64, which controls the action of the carrier 41, while the other arm 61 projects into the path of the downwardly-m oving cross-shafts 7 to be en aged thereby for restoring the disk 59 and c utch64 to their normal inactive positions.

The clutch 64 is feathered upon-a shaft 66 and is movable into and-out oflocking connection with a sprocket-wheel 67, which is loose on said shaft 66 and is connected to and driven by a chain belt 68 from the front ter minal drum 2 of the conveyer 1. The shaft 66 is geared to an additional shaft 70, and

motion is transmitted from this latter shaft to the auxiliary carrier-belt 41 bymeans of a chain belt 71.

Now when the pawl 57 is released from holding engagement with the disk 59..the-

turn side of the conveyer 1 to some convenient locality where it may be taken and again refilled. This movement of the carrier41 continues until the arm 61 is engaged by one of the cross-shafts 7 on the returning side of'the conveyer 1, which restores the disk 59 and the pawl 57 to drop into holding engagement with the tooth on said disk, readyfor the repetition of the operation ust described, it being understood that as soon as the clutch 64 is thrown out of action the movement of the carrier 41 ceases. o

The operation, briefly stated, is asfollows: The filled buckets are placed, by hand upon the auxiliary feeding bed or carrier 33 and are conveyed to a oint directly-under the front lower termina drum 2, where they are picked up by the traveling hanger-arms 30 and are carried upwardly and thence horizontally along the outgoing track 26until the path of such spur and which being on a fixed axis holds the bottom of the bucket and causes it to tilt upwardly while the top is being drawn forwardly and downwardly until the shoulders 50 strike the rest 51 and abutment 52, which jars the bucket with greater or less force to loosen-its contents. As the forward movement of the bucket continues its upper edges become fulcrumed on the upper edges of the abutments 52, thereby.causin a further tilting of the bucket to a comp etc inverted osition and withdrawing the spur 43 vertically from its loop 44 until the limitingforce to further release any material adhering to the sides of the bucket, which as soon as it leaves the abutments 52 returns by gravity to its normal upright position. bucket is then returned along the returntracks 27 to the auxiliary delivery-carrier 41, where the buckets are automatically detached veyed f om beneath the return-drum 2 to some locality where they may be taken and refilled, the action of the auxiliary conveyers 33 and 41 being intermittent and synchronized with the movement of the main" conveyer 1, so as to pick up a filled bucket as each set of carrier-arms are presented at a certain point along the outgoing side of the conveyer, while the empty buckets are released and sented at a certain point in the return side of the conveyer 1.

In Fig; 14 I have shown a series ofin this instance three-dumping-s tations at which are located a corresponding number of rockshafts 47 similar to and for the same purpose as the rock-shafts 47, (seen in Figs. 1, 10, 11, and 12,) except that they are provided with different locking elements or tumblers e, f,

clutch 64 to their normal positions and allows spur 43 of one of the advancing buckets encounters the loop 44, which maybe in the The empty from their supporting-arms 3G and. are concarried away as each of the hangers, are pre-' stops 50 strike theshaft7 with suflicient and g, which are adaptedto be engaged, re- 0 I same or slightlyless Widths than the o their tmve as in this instance the finst ed- -gso that as the buckets edvencc in se stations successively. It therefore follows @ER 9 (i; a

'spectively, by compsnionlockin elements or keys e, f, and g, each adapted to interlock With or {it in'its respective tumbles as the buckets are fed along in sequence to the successivc stations.

It is obvious that various forms of keys and tumblers may be employed *Lv'heich y the key of each bucket will automcticelly inter lock With its companion tumbler to effect the inversion or dumping of each bucket at di=f-- ferent station, and in the locking device she "n in Fig. 14 the tumblers c, f, and gpioje fTOIIl their respective she/its 4'? mid ell-epic vided with openings h, c', and j, respectively, of progressively-increasing Widths and also formed with shoulders 7c, with which their companion keys e f, and g are adept-- ed to become intei'hmlzed as the buckets reach their respective stations.

The locking element, as g, of the final or last stationof the seri smsy have its f r. 2nd closed; but the free end olithe other k m members c endfere provided with slots 6 and Z of progressively-incrossing Widths, leading from their respective openings h and c, he

keys 0, f, and g being of substantially tings h M of their companion locking mem e,f, and g, While the slots Z end Z are of less Width than their companion keys c cndf' The locking elements a, end g norm project in a plene shove the plane of mo ment of the keys c, f, and g and are 0:? eye'- gr *siveW-diminishing Widths corresponding to the progressively-diminishing Widths of the keys c, f, and g--thet'is, the locking members f and g are of less Width then the and the key is of greater Width. then ti 0 ening j in the locking member 9, While s 0t lie of less Width then the Width of the keys f"and g, and the "slot 1 of the locking member f is of less width then "the key quence the keys andf" will succes Mely rldethrough the slots .1 and Z, thereby cens 111g said keys g, f, and c. to successwel enter the o enm s 'L It ceusin the ke to en- 8 7 s Y I gage an interlock with the locking member g to'invert the bucket et'tlns station, n t the ke .s and e successively interlock with Y their respective lockmgmembecs f and e to mvert their respective buckets at the letter that each key of each bucket eu'tomsticell-y selects and engages e; djii'erent locinng inc her at a-difie'rent station for inverting end dischorgin the buckets at ditierent poi :11 upon Wl ich the buckets are successively dc sited, and means for internuttmgly moving said owner as each bucket is successively deposited thereon.

In a convey eisystem, a main conveyerbelt wing at oi cross-shafts each provided. with a pen of swii'zging bucket-hangers,

d techebly supported in said hangn for driving the belt, means for mes feeding s buckets successively into the 1 B3,). of the to he picked up by said "s, meens for inverting the buckets in moving means coacting with and aci movement of the conveyeren the empty buckets from their and to convey them away from the 2 which they were detached.

n conveys}: system, en'endless conriei' for successively feeding the cts one by one to the conveyer-belt, sepiievices on the conveyenbelt for pickts as they ere successively id ties-sets, different locking elements eri'cnged. at intervals along the line of travel of the buckets, eech bucket having a different locking elementedsptedrto interlock with QElV one of the first-named locking elements i i inverting and dumping the bucket Whlle in transit.

In e conveyer system,"s.conveyer-beltv and buckets detechehly supported at intervels ereon, in combination with icntei'mitby-the movement of the conveyer to detach the en'ipty buckets from said can'- veye end to convey them away from the piece at which they were detached...

5. conveyer system, an endless c011- veyer end actuating means therefor, bucketsupportsg hengecs upon the conveyer, mach-Q enism actuated inteimittingly by end ineving in sync rony with the conveys: for feedi the hi e on: hy one into said hangers suc essively presented at s cerpoint.

i in conveyei' system, an endlesshelt on and means ectuste intermitt id helt for feeding the. buckets one; y (WEISS as they are successively. ei'tein point.

y one inte said i presented '5 't 7. .ln c veyei sctneting means therefor, buckethe gers to dump the same, and intermitbelt, en intermittingly --movable' .ZOVUlg coectine' with and a'c-i 1g svn'nging lincketsupconting hengei's- I 'eye'r system, an endlesseonsupporting-hangers":oni the conveyer having open-sided bearings for receiving portions of the bucket, and intermittingly-movable means actuated by the conveyer to feed the buckets into position to be picked up by the said hangers 8. In a conveyer system, a conveyer-belt composed of a pair of endless chains spaced apart side by side and cross-shafts connecting said chains, terminal supporting-drums for said belt, a bucket-sup orting hanger sus pended from each of said s afts and each pro: vided with a pair of open-sided bearings also spaced apart for receiving and supporting the bucket and a bucket swinging in said bearings, each shaft being located in the the overturning side of the bucket.

9. In a-conveyer. system, a main conveyerbelt having a series of bucket-supportin hangers attached at intervals thereto an each provided with open-sided bearings which are brought into position at-a certam point in the travel of the conveyer to automatically pick up a bucket, means actuated by the conveyer-belt to feed the buckets one by one into the path of said open-sided bearings, whereby the loaded buckets are con veyed upwardly, means for inverting the buckets While in'transit, and a movable carrier in the path of the return empty buckets for receiving and supporting said buckets and allowing the open-sided'bearings to antomatically disengage therefrom as the conveyer-belt continues to move.

10. In a conveyer system, an endless conveyer having bucket-supporting hangers at tached at intervals thereto, tracks or guides running along the outgoing and return sides of the conveyer, rollers on the conveyer traveling along said tracks, interinittinglymoving means-actuated by the conveyer for feeding the filled buckets into the path of the hangers whereby they are picked up and carried by the outgoing side of the conveyer, means for automatically inverting and discharging the filled buckets while in transit, and additional means for stopping theempty buckets on their return whereby their hangers are disengaged.

11. In a conveyer system of the class described, a traveling bucket-carrier a bucket pivotally connected to the carrier automatic means for inverting the bucket during its travel and means for engaging and abruptly stopping the overturning of the bucket.

12; In a conveyer system of the class described, a traveling bucket-carrier, a bucket pivotally connected to said carrier, auto matic means for inverting the bucket at a predetermined point in its travel and while in transit, and means on the carrier in the path'of the overturning part of the bucket toj' path of scribed, a traveling bucket-conveyeifid mechanical means controlled at will to engage and invert the bucket while in transit and additional means in advance of the firstnamed meansto engage the bucket and detach it from said first-named-means.

14. In a conveyer system of the class de scribed, a traveling bucket-carrier and buck ets pivotally connected thereto and each havm a locking member, means in the path of sai ?member to interlock therewith and to lHViBI'tml/h bucket while in transit, said means being movable-at will into and out of the path of said member and astop on the conveyer in the ath of the overturning bucket to t broadly imit such overturning move ment."

15. In a conveyer system of the class described, a traveling bucketcarr1er,-- means normally in but movable out of the path of ment in advance of said means and engaged by the traveling bucket for further tilting the same to a complete inverted position, and an additional abutment on the carrier enga ed by the overturning part of the bucket W en brought to an invertedposition.

17. In a conveyer system of scribed, a traveling carr ier and swinging bucket thereon having'a key or spur on each end to permit either end to be arranged fore most, manually-movable means in the path of the key or spur to engage the latter and tilt the bucket toward an inverted position, a fixed abutment also in the'path of the bucket at one side of the spur for engaging and completing the inversion of the bucket, and additional means on the carrier engaged by the overturning part of the bucket to stop its swinging movement when brought to an in-' verted position. 4

18. In a conveyer system of the class described, an endless conveyer-belt and swinging hanger thereon, a bucket'pivotally 'supported upon the hanger, means in the path of the bucket to engage at one side of its pivot the class deand rock the same to an inverted position,

and additionalmeans engaging saidbucket at the opposite side of its pivot for stopping the swinging of the bucket upon its pivot with a sudden jar when brought to. an inverted position.

19. In a conveyer system, a pair of endless conveyer-chains traveling sideby side, a tierod connecting said chains, a hanger mounted on the tie-rod, a bucket pivotally mounted upon the hanger and provided with a locking member, means in the path of said member to engage the same and rock the bucket upon its pivot, a fixed abutment [or engaging the bucket and tilting it to an inverted position, and i p against the tie rod when said bucket is brought to an inverted position.

28. .ln. s conveyer system, a traveling conveyer-belt having a series of pairs of swinging hangers arranged one in advance, of the other, bucl each supported in one of the pairs of hangers eachbucket having a locking member attached to its bottom, separate looking members arranged. one in advance of the other in the line of travel of the locking members of the buckets to interlock with those on the buckets and tilt saidbuckets to an inverted position, said separate locking members being movable out of the path of those on the buckets to prevent the dumping of the latter.

21. in a conveyersystcm, a traveling-conveyor-belt and. a bucket carried thereby and provided witl'i e plurality of locking memhers, and separate devices arranged one in agivance of the other in the direction of travel of said bucket, each of said devices bemg located in the path of one of said locking members to engagothe same and tilt the bucket, each device being movable into and out of operative position whereby the bucket may be allowed. to pass one of the devices and still be tilted by the next device.

22. in a conveyor system, a traveling con veyer-belt and a'series of swinging buckets carried thereby, each bucket being provided with a plurality of locking members, and separate tripphig devices, each movable into and out of the path of one ofsaid locking members to'interlock therewith and rock the bucket upon its swinging axis.

23. In a conveyor system, a bucket, and traveling conveyor-belt havin means there on to automatically pick up the bucket and carry it forward, means in the path of the bucket to engage and tilt the same to an in- Verted position While being carried forwardly by the belt and additional means to automatically disengage the bucket from the conveye'rebcl 24. In conveyor system, a travelin cone veyenbelt having open-sided bearings, ucksis, and means to feed them one bybne into said open-sided bearings as the latter are brought to a certain point and 'adcli'tional means mounted on a fixed support to invert the loaded. buckets in their bearings, further means to stop the swingin of each bucket when brought to an inverted position.

25. In a conveyor system, a traveling conveyer-belt provided. with bucket-supports, buckets journaled in said supports, means for rocking the buckets in saidsupp'orts to shoulder on the bucket swinging.

an inverted position While in transit, and ad ditional means for automatically detaching the empty buckets from the supports at a certain point along the return side of the conveyer-bolt.

26. In aconveyor s 'stem, a traveling conveyer-belt having swinging bucket-supporting hangers, and buckets thereon, means for inverting the loaded buckets while in transit along the outgoing side of the conveyor, whereby said buc iets are emptied, additional means for detaching the empty buckat a certain point from the return side of the conveyer, an intermittingly movable carrier for receiving the detached empty buckets, and additional means for synchronizing the movement of the carrier with that of the conveycnbelt to actuate the carrier after each successive bucket is deposited thereon.

2'7. in. a conveyor system, a traveling conveyer-belt, means for feeding loaded buckets into proximity to the outgoing side of the conveyor-belt, pick-up devices mounted at intervals upon the conveyor-belt and adapted to pick 11' the buckets as they are successively fed tl iereto, means for inverting and thereby discharging the buckets While traveling along and upon the outgoin side of the therefor, a carrier for feeding the loaded buckets one by one into proximity to the conveyor-belt, means for actuating said carrier intermittingly,-pick-up devices mounted at intenvals upon the conveyor-belt and each operating to pick up one'of the ..buckets as they are successively fed to the'convey'crbelt, additional means for inverting the loaded buckets While in transit on the outgoing side of the conveyor, a second carrier in the path of the returning empty buckets for receiving and supporting said buckets, the pick-up devices automatically disengaging themselves from their respective buckets as the latter are successively deposited upon the second carrier, and means for imparting intermitting motion to the second carrier as each bucket is successively deposited thereon.

29. In a conveyor system, atraveling con .avcyer-belt and swinging buckets thereon,

each bucket or series of buckets having'a dif-,

ferent locking member orkey and different locking devices or tumblers-located at difien.

of each bucket automatically selects and engages its particular locking member independently of the others for inverting its bucket.

v30. Ina conveyer system, a traveling conveyer belt. and swinging buckets supported thereby, difierent locking members located at different points in the line of travel of the buckets, anddifierent ke s on-the buckets each corres ending to an interlocking with one of the ockinomembers separately from the others, where y each bucket or series of buckets is caused to be inverted at a difierent point in its line of travel.

31. In a conveyer system, an endless bucket conveyer, swinging hangers on the conveyer having open-sided bearings, buckets supported in said bearings, an endless carrier having a series of abutments spaced a uniform distance apart for engaging and feeding the buckets one by one into the path of the open-sided bearings as they are successively moved to a predetermined point whereby each succeeding bucket is picked up by each succeeding han er, and means actuated by the conveyerelt for moving the feedin -carrier one bucket-space at a time.

32. n combination with an endless conveyer-belt and a series of open-sided bearin s mounted thereon, means actuated by said belt for feeding the buckets one by one into position to be picked up by said bearings, means for automatically dumping the buckets While traveling alon the outgoing side of the conveyer, and aditional means coacting with the return side of the conveyer- 3 5 belt for disengaging the buckets from said bearings as they are successively returned to a predetermined point.

83. In combination with an endless con veyer-belt having a series of cross-shafts each 40 supporting a pair of bucket-hangers, a bucket pivotally mounted in each air of hangers, means in the path of the buc et for inverting it, and means on the bucket for engaging its shaft when brought to an inverted osition. 45

34;. In combination with an end ess conveyer belt, open sided bucket bearings mounted at intervals upon the belt, buckets supported in said bearings, means for invertthe bucket while in transit along the out- 50 golng side of the belt, an endless carrier coacting with the return side of the belt to disengage the buckets from their bearings, and means actuated by the belt for moving said carrier intermittin ly as the buckets are suc- 5 5 cessively deposite thereon.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 16th day of November,1905.

IRVING S. MERRELL.

Witnesses: 

